While lions are not native to China, some specimens apparently had reached there from the West by the Western Han (206 BC.–AD 9) period: there is evidence, for example, that lions were among the many exotic animals kept in the Han-dynasty imperial parks. In all probability, these two meticulously sculpted ceramic figurines functioned as bases for some kind of stand. Counterparts to these earthenware lions can be found in Tang-dynasty (618–907) stone sculpture.